Oklahoma State's Ramon Richards (7) runs from West Virginia's Justin Crawford, as he returns an interception 59-yards during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, Oct. 29, 2016. Oklahoma State defeated West Virginia 37-20. (AP Photo/Brody Schmidt)

Oklahoma State's Ramon Richards (7) runs from West Virginia's Justin Crawford, as he returns an interception 59-yards during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, Oct.

Texas players celebrate their win over Baylor in a NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2016, in Austin, Texas. Texas won 35-34. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Texas players celebrate their win over Baylor in a NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2016, in Austin, Texas. Texas won 35-34. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

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Washington punt returner Dante Pettis (8) eludes Utah's Jackson Barton (70) on his way to a touchdown in the second half during an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2016, in Salt Lake City. Washington won 31-24. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Washington punt returner Dante Pettis (8) eludes Utah's Jackson Barton (70) on his way to a touchdown in the second half during an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2016, in Salt Lake City.

Ohio State wide receiver K.J. Hill, left, cuts upfield between Northwestern defenders Marcus McShepard, right, and Nate Hall during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 29, 2016, in

The road claimed a couple of undefeated Big 12 teams, but a few others College Football Playoff contenders managed to avoid getting knocked off away from home Saturday.

Week nine of the college football season had potential to create serious problems for highly ranked teams just days before the first selection committee rankings are released.

Thoughts, takedowns and takeaways from a day for road warriors and gritty victories.

1. The Big 12's playoff hopes are not dead now that No. 8 Baylor and No. 10 West Virginia have lost. They are, however, in very bad condition .

2. Sure, if the Bears and/or Mountaineers finish 11-1 and win the Big 12 they could be in the thick of the playoff mix. But let's be real: Can you see either of these teams running the table?

3. No. 4 Washington has no more questions to answer after prevailing at No. 17 Utah. The Huskies' schedule has not been great up to this point, but they made plays in lots of different ways against a Utes team that is just no fun to play. Especially in Salt Lake City.

4. Weekly Joe Williams update: The Utes out-of-retirement running back had 172 yards on 35 carries against the Huskies.

5. No. 6 Ohio State is at the point with its passing game that it probably should not expect to fix its inability to stretch the field with some deep throws. The Buckeyes are probably just going to have to work around their deficiency.

6. Buckeyes quarterback J.T. Barrett has a so-so arm and far from blazing speed, but he does make a lot of plays when Ohio State needs them most.

7. Hard to have a Heisman moment against a 2-6 opponent, but Lamar Jackson bailed out No. 5 Louisville at Virginia, and the big bronze trophy is still his to lose .

8. Good for Virginia coach Bronco Mendenhall for going for 2 against Louisville instead of settling for a late tie.

9. To what extent Jabrill Peppers is a Heisman contender is hard to pin down. If voters insist on big offensive numbers, they are unlikely to get them from Michigan's do-it-all star. He had six touches for 22 yards and a touchdown against Michigan State . But watching Peppers play, this much is clear: He is one of the best players in the country and plenty of NFL teams will be happy to take him early in the first round.

10. Michigan State has lost six straight overall, and it is fair to wonder if the Sparty Party against the Wolverines (six wins in the previous seven meetings) could be over for a while.

11. Where does Texas coach Charlie Strong stand now, with the Longhorns at 4-4? Well, winning out doesn't sound crazy with games at Texas Tech and Kansas and home games against West Virginia and TCU. Neither does losing all four.

12. Every week a referendum will continue for Strong, which doesn't seem fair but, hey, the pay is great .

13. Lost in all the talk about Strong's status: Texas has one of the best running backs in the country in D'Onta Freeman, who should start getting some Heisman love.

14. Did you know? Miami and Notre Dame played a football game on Saturday .

15. Handling success can be tricky. No. 24 Penn State scored 45 points in the second half to rout Purdue . A taking-care-of-business follow-up for the Nittany Lions after last week's Ohio State upset.

16. Penn State fans get at least one more college season of Saquon Barkley. That alone is reason for optimism in Happy Valley.

17. Boston College snapped its 12-game ACC losing streak with a 21-14 victory at North Carolina State , which is a really bad look for Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren. In his fourth season in Raleigh, North Carolina, Doeren is 22-24 overall and 7-21 in the ACC.

18. Houston has been in a bit of a daze since losing to Navy, and needed a big comeback to beat UCF. The Cougars could be labeled something of a disappointment, but the fact is expectations for the Cougars became unreasonable, especially beating Oklahoma.

19. And, no, Houston slipping a bit it has not changed Tom Herman's most-wanted status among rising head coaches.

20. The American Athletic Conference's quality and depth, along with ambitious nonconference scheduling, might work against it this season as it tries to put its champion in a New year's Six bowl. Every AAC team has lost at least twice.

21. The $12 million buyout was probably enough to keep coach Mark Stoops safe at Kentucky this season, but now the hot-seat talk can be replaced by dreams of winning the SEC East. The Wildcats (5-3, 4-2) still have to play Georgia and No. 18 Tennessee. Also, Austin Peay to make sure they get bowl eligible.

22. That home game against Georgia certainly looks winnable for the Wildcats.

23. Oregon snapped its five-game losing streak against Arizona State . If coach Mark Helfrich can salvage this Oregon season with a late surge, he is probably safe to be back next season. But here's the rest of the schedule with three victories needed to get to a bowl game: at USC, Stanford, at Utah and at Oregon State. Good luck, coach.

24. Another great comeback story this season, despite the Ducks' struggles: Tight end Pharaoh Brown, who suffered a gruesome injury in 2014 at Utah, had seven catches for 129 yards and two touchdowns against the Sun Devils.

25. Army had lost three of four after a 3-0 start, but got a big win at Wake Forest to leave the Black Knights a win short of bowl eligibility. Army plays Air Force at home next week.